Related Regulations

Preliminary Examination in Modern Languages

A

The languages, subjects, and papers in the examination shall be as prescribed by regulation from time to time by the Board of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages.

B

Not more than two languages may be offered.

1. The languages which may be offered shall be Latin and Greek and those languages which may be offered in the Final Honour School of Modern Languages.1Candidates who offer both Latin and Ancient Greek shall be deemed to be offering one ancient language. Candidates for whom it is appropriate shall pass at the end of their first year of study the examination in Greek or Latin prescribed for first-year candidates in Course II of Honour Moderations in Classics and English, before proceeding to offer papers in the Preliminary Examination for Modern Languages in accordance with the following regulations in their second year of study.

3. A candidate shall be deemed to have passed the examination if they shall have satisfied the Examiners

either (i) in all papers in both subjects (a) Language and (b) Literature in each of two languages, at least one of the languages being modern;

or (ii) in all papers in both subjects (a) Language and (b) Literature in one modern language (other than Czech (with Slovak) or Celtic) and in all papers in subject (d) Linguistics [For students starting from MT 2018: (available exclusively for candidates admitted to read for the Final Honour School in Modern Languages and Linguistics)];

or (iii) in all papers in both subjects (a) Language and (b) Literature in [For students starting before MT 2018: either] French [For students starting before MT 2018: or] German, [For students starting from MT 2018: Spanish or Russian] and in all three papers in subject (e) Further Topics in the same language [For students starting from MT 2018: (French, German, Spanish or Russian/Slavonic)];

[For students starting from MT 2018: or (iv) in all papers in both subjects (a) Language and (b) Literature in French, German, Spanish or Russian and in two papers (XI and XII) in subject (e) Further Topics in the same language (French, German, Spanish or Russian/Slavonic) and in one paper (XIII) in subject (e) Further Topics in Polish;]

or [For students starting before MT 2018: (iv)][For students starting from MT 2018: (v)] in all papers in both subjects (a) Language and (b) Literature in one modern language and in all papers in subject (f) Russian Course B (ab initio) or German Course B (ab initio).

Candidates must offer all the papers at one examination, provided that a candidate who has previously failed to satisfy the examiners in any paper or papers shall not be required to resit any paper or papers in which he or she has already satisfied the examiners. The pair of papers IIA and IIB (and BIIA and BIIB) counts as a single paper.

4. To a candidate who has done work of special merit in the papers concerned, the Moderators may award a mark of distinction in a language, and in Further Topics, and in Linguistics. A candidate may be awarded either one or two distinctions. A candidate receiving distinction in both parts of their examination may receive an overall distinction.

5. Candidates must offer:

Either: I, IIA, IIB, III, IV in two modern languages:

Or: I, IIA, IIB, III, IV in a modern language together with V, VI, and VII in Latin and/or Ancient Greek;

Or: I, IIA, IIB, III, IV in a modern language together with VIII, IX, and X in Linguistics.

Or: I, IIA, IIB, III, IV in [For students starting before MT 2018: either] French [For students starting before MT 2018: or] German[For students starting from MT 2018: , Spanish or Russian] together with XI, XII, and XIII in the same language [For students starting from MT 2018: (French, German, Spanish, Russian/Slavonic)]. (For candidates offering French [For students starting before MT 2018: sole or] German[For students starting from MT 2018: , Spanish or Russian] sole.)

[For students starting from MT 2018: Or: I, IIA, IIB, III, IV in French, German, Spanish or Russian together with XI and XII in the same language and Polish XIII. (For candidates offering French, German, Spanish or Russian sole with Polish.)]

[For students starting before MT 2018: [See Table 20]][For students starting from MT 2018: Texts for study will be specified in the relevant modern language’s Prelim course handbook.]

IV.Literature II: Prescribed texts. 3 hours.

[For students starting before MT 2018: [See Table 21]][For students starting from MT 2018: Texts for study will be specified in the relevant modern language's Prelim course handbook.]

c.Classics and Modern Languages paper

Latin and Ancient Greek

Any candidate whose native language is not English may bring a bilingual (native language to English) dictionary for use in any examination paper where candidates are required to translate Ancient Greek and/or Latin texts into English.

1.Course I.

Papers V, VI and VII: Candidates will be required to take papers identical with papers 3, 4, and 5 for the Preliminary Examination in Classics and English, Course I.

For prescribed editions of texts, see the Classics and Modern Languages Handbook.

2.Course II.

Candidates for Course II shall be required:

(a) to pass at the end of their first year of study the examination in Greek and Latin prescribed for first-year candidates in Course II of the Preliminary Examination in Classics and English.

(b) during their second year of study, to offer papers as for Course I.

d.Linguistics

VIII.General Linguistics. 3 hours.

Candidates will be expected to be familiar with the development of contemporary linguistic theory, both synchronic and historical, and be able to discuss problems and issues in areas including semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition and language change.

IX.Phonetics and Phonology. 3 hours.

Candidates will be expected to be familiar with principles and practice in the analysis, classification, and transcription of speech, as applied to languages in general, but with an emphasis on European languages.

X.Grammatical Analysis. 3 hours.

Candidates will be expected to be familiar with modern grammatical theory, in particular as applied to the analysis of European languages.

e.Further Topics

XI. Further Topics I:[For students starting from MT 2018: 3 hours

Films for study will be specified in the relevant modern language's Prelims course handbook.]

French: Introduction to French Film Studies:

[For students starting before MT 2018: Candidates must write three essays, each on a different film. There will be a choice of two questions on each film.

Henri-Georges Clouzot: Le Corbeau (1942)

Jean-Luc Godard: Vivre sa vie (1962)

Agnès Varda: Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (2000)

Bertrand Blier: Les valseuses (1974)]

German: Introduction to German Film Studies:

[For students starting before MT 2018: The paper will consist of one commentary and two essays from a choice of questions. The commentary will be on a set of stills from one of the films.

Metropolis (dir. Fritz Lang, 1925/26. Eureka edition EKA40321)

Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (dir. Lotte Reiniger, 1923/26)

Der blaue Engel (dir. Josef von Sternberg, 1929/1930)

Kameradschaft (dir. G. W. Pabst, 1931)]

[For students starting from MT 2018: Spanish: Introduction to Hispanic Film Studies

Russian/Slavonic: Introduction to Russian Film Studies]

XII. Further Topics II: [For students starting from MT 2018: 3 hours

Texts for study will be specified in the relevant modern language's Prelim course handbook.]

French: Introduction to French Literary Theory:

[For students starting before MT 2018: Candidates must write three essays, each on a different author. There will be a choice of two questions on each author.

Texts for study will be specified in the relevant modern language’s Prelim course handbook.]

French: Key Texts in French Thought:

[For students starting before MT 2018: Candidates must answer three questions (one commentary and two essays), each on a different text. There will be a choice of one commentary passage and one essay question on each text.

[For students starting from MT 2018: Spanish: Introduction to Short Fiction in Spanish

Russian/Slavonic: Elementary Polish]

Candidates will be permitted to use translations alongside, but not instead of, the original texts.

f.Russian Course B: for students who enter Oxford without A level or equivalent level knowledge of Russian

BI Translation from English into Russian and Russian grammar exercises.

BIIA Translation from Russian into English.

BIIB Comprehension of a passage of written Russian.

BIII Dictation and Aural Comprehension.

BIV Oral Test.

g.German Course B: for students who enter Oxford [For students starting from MT 2018: without A level or equivalent level knowledge of German][For students starting before MT 2018: to study ab-initio German]

BI Reading Comprehension and Essay in German.

BIIA Translation into German.

BIIB Translation from German.

BIII Oral Test.

BIV German Prose [For students starting before MT 2018: 1890-1933]. [For students starting from MT 2018: Texts for study will be specified in the German Prelim course handbook.]

Table 18

French:

The paper will consist of: (a) French grammar (20 short sentences for translation into French); (b) A prose passage for translation into French; (c) A summary in French of a passage of analytical or critical writing in French.

German:

‘Deutsche Gesellschaft und Kultur seit 1890.’ Reading comprehension (in German) on a passage which relates to the theme of the paper. One essay in German on a topic relating to the theme of the paper.

The paper will be examined by commentary only, with all texts set, and candidates required to offer three passages, one from each of sections A, B, and C.

German:

Commentary. Two commentaries on a choice of poems taken from an anthology, which will include some medieval poems. One commentary on an extract from one of the set texts listed under paper IV. Each year two such texts will be designated as the ones from which an extract for commentary may be taken. Texts to be studied for commentary in any given year will be published in the University Gazette during noughth week of Michaelmas Term each year.

Italian:

Aspects of Italian lyric poetry. Compulsory passages for explanation and detailed comment will be set.

The sonnet from the Middle Ages to the present. (Copies of the list of sonnets for the examinations in the academic year concerned will be available in the Modern Languages Faculty Office, 41 Wellington Square, from the beginning of the Michaelmas Full Term of the year.)

Prescribed texts to be studied in relation to various possible approaches to literature. One compulsory passage will be set for translation into English and one for commentary. Candidates will also be required to undertake two essays, to be written on texts other than the one from which the passage chosen for commentary was taken.

Prescribed texts to be studied in relation to various possible approaches to literature. Compulsory passages for explanation and detailed comment will be set. There will be a compulsory essay or commentary question on each of the set texts.

Lídia Jorge, O vale da paixão

Pepetela, O Desejo de Kianda

Manuel Bandeira, Libertinagem and Estrela da manhã

Russian:

Poetry. The examination will consist of three commentaries, each on a different author, on the set works by five authors detailed below. One commentary passage will be compulsory.

Derzhavin, Felitsa

Pushkin, Mednyi vsadnik

Lermontov, Mtsyri

Blok, Na pole Kulikovom and Dvenadtsat'

Akhmatova, Rekviem

Examiners may give some guidance to candidates about how to approach the passages set for commentary; they may also require candidates to translate some portion of the passages set for commentary into English.

Modern Greek:

Modern Greek poetry and prose. Compulsory passages for explanation and detailed comment will be set. The syllabus will consist of a selection of poems and short stories by a variety of authors. (A list of the selection for the examinations in the academic year concerned will be available in the Modern Languages Faculty Office, 41 Wellington Square, from the beginning of the Michaelmas Full Term of that year).

The examination paper will be divided into two sections. Section A will consist of two compulsory commentary passages from prescribed texts (one poetry passage and one prose passage). Section B will consist of a choice of essay questions, from which each candidate must choose one.

Czech (with Slovak):

Prescribed texts to be studied as literature. Three compulsory passages for commentary will be set.

Short stories:

Milan Kundera, Falešný autostop

Bohumil Hrabal, Pábitelé

Ota Pavel, Zlatí úhoři

Jan Neruda, Doktor Kazisvět

Celtic:

Prescribed texts to be studied as literature. Commentary. One commentary on a poem taken from an anthology. Poems will be set from:

Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of four of the five works listed below. Candidates will be expected to have such knowledge of the literary, intellectual, and historical background as is necessary for the understanding of these texts. Compulsory passages for commentary will not be set in the examination.

Modern Italian Narrative and Cinema

Primo Levi, Se questo è un uomo

Italo Calvino, Il cavaliere inesistente

Anna Maria Ortese, Il mare non bagna Napoli

Cesare Pavese, La Luna e i falò

Marco Tullio Giordana, I cento passi

Spanish:

Prescribed texts to be studied in relation to general trends in literature or thought or to historical background. Compulsory passages for explanation and detailed comment will not be set.

(a) a commentary on passages chosen from two of the set texts given below; (b) an essay, on one of the remaining three texts; (c) an essay on the historical development of the auto. Candidates will be expected to show knowledge of at least one text from each of groups A, B, and C below.

A Gil Vicente Auto da Barca do Inferno

Auto da India

B Ana Luísa Amaral, Próspero Morreu

C Suassuna Auto da Compadecida

Cabral de Melo Neto Vida e Morte Severina

Russian:

The paper will consist of: (a) one compulsory commentary; and (b) two essays each from a choice of two covering the other two set authors. Examiners may give some guidance to candidates about how to approach the passage set for commentary; they may also require candidates to translate some portion of the passage set for commentary into English.

Pushkin, Pikovaya dama

Chekhov, Sluchai iz praktiki; Anna na shee; Dom s mezoninom

Dovlatov, Chemodan

Modern Greek:

Twentieth-century Greek prose in context. Candidates will be expected to have and to be able to demonstrate such knowledge of the literary, intellectual, cultural and historical background as is necessary for the understanding of these texts. Compulsory passages for commentary will not be set in the examination. Angelopoulos’s Ο Θίασος will be taught with an emphasis on the script, but aspects of the film will also be discussed.

Candidates will be encouraged to make connections and comparisons between texts where appropriate.

Prescribed texts

Στρατής Δούκας, Ιστορία ενός αιχμαλώτου

Δημήτρης Χατζής, Το τέλος της μικρής μας πόλης

Κώστας Ταχτσής, Το τρίτο στεφάνι

Θόδωρος Αγγελόπουλος, Ο Θίασος

Παύλος Μάτεσις, Η μητέρα του σκύλου

Αλέξανδρος Κοτζιάς, Ιαγουάρος’

Czech (with Slovak):

Prescribed texts to be studied as literature. Essay-type questions will be set on the plays, and a compulsory passage for commentary from the poem. Candidates will be required to answer on all three texts.

EITHER Karel Čapek, R.U.R. OR Václav Havel, Vyrozumění

Karel Jaromír Erben, Kytice

Karel Hynek Mácha, Máj

Celtic:

Prescribed texts. Three essays from a choice of questions on the following set texts:

1 Czech (with Slovak) and Celtic may not be available in [For students starting before MT 2018: given years][For students starting from MT 2018: every year.][For students starting before MT 2018: Notice that these subjects will not be available will be given in the Gazette in the Trinity Term but one before the examination concerned.]